28. Entering The Merchant caravan

Approaching cautiously, Mei Lin marveled at the caravan's surreal beauty. It snaked its way through the landscape like a creature from a dream, comprised of a procession of at least fifty big entities. Each one of these resembled a colossal slug, its sluggish pace belying the weight of the house on their back, ornate and mysterious, perched atop its sinuous form.

The lead slug commanded attention, its size eclipsing the others as if ordained by some unseen force. A majestic structure, rising four stories high, loomed over the caravan like a guardian sentinel, casting a protective shadow over its smaller ones.

Alongside the slugs were carriages dragged by horses or cows, each carrying living non-cultivators who served the caravan as laborers. The main building of the merchant caravan served as the leader's residence. Armed with spirit stones, Mei Lin was prepared to pay whatever for the shelter. As she drew nearer, her eyes caught sight of a woman with long crystal hair who looked like a god-like being, her ethereal presence seeming to shimmer amidst the dappled light of the forest. With each step, she moved closer to the caravan, her purpose enigmatic yet undeniable. "That must be the master. I am sure to find her in the caravan."

Mei Lin continued her run until she reached the caravan, but before she could enter, she was stopped by the guards. Though they were non-cultivators, she paused and listened intently. She didn't mind if they saw her eyes, but she began contemplating how to cover them. Keeping them closed all the time would raise suspicion and surely prompt questions from others.

"Are you here for trade or something else Miss Cultivator?" The guards, astute in their observations, refrained from questioning Mei Lin about her blood-stained appearance and the scent of death that clung to her. They also noticed the hole in her arm and the tattered state of her clothes, yet they chose not to inquire further. While her unusual eyes caught their attention, they did not press her for additional information. As non-cultivators, they recognized their limitations and recognized her cultivation with the special jade token.

 "I am here for shelter and also to buy something. Alright, how long will you stay? Before we arrive in a nearby city. Well, you will need to pay sixty low-grade spirit stones. We will arrive in another city in sixty days, so you will be charged one low-grade stone for each day of protection." Mei Lin immediately paid for sixty days and received a yellow token. "This token is important for your protection. If you don't have it, you need to leave. After we arrive in another city, this token will not be valid, and you need to return it and buy a new one if you want to stay. Also, when we are in the city, you don't need to pay for protection."

After saying goodbye, Mei Lin went inside. As she left, they glanced at where she was going, but upon seeing the slash across her back, they didn't look anymore. "Shit, who did that to her? She is a very weak cultivator, but with these kinds of injuries, she was lucky that she did not die. We need to inform higher-ups about her. Her clothes looked very noble and expensive, they will surely be numerous troubles after she joins us."

As they deliberated on what to do about Mei Lin, the deity began to approach them. She moved without opening her eyes or uttering a word. They watched her intently, feeling a sense of unease in her presence. After a tense silence, they finally mustered the courage to speak up and asked her questions.

"Welcome to the merchant caravan. We are currently heading to Peng City, and we will be there in two months. If you want to join the merchant caravan, you need to pay one low-grade spirit stone for a day. As for your pet, you need to pay for him as well. Are you here for pleasure or trade, Lord cultivator?" The deity replied, "You don't need to be concerned about why I am here. As for the protection fee, I don't need one."

The guards stared at the deity, dumbfounded and at a loss for words. Despite her youthful and seemingly innocent appearance, even the special token that could reveal other cultivators' cultivation realms failed to yield any information about her. Fear began to creep into their hearts as they realized they were no match for her or the giant snake beside her. As they continued to gaze at her in trepidation, one of the guards hastily retrieved another token and pressed it. After a brief moment, an old cultivator materialized behind them, startling them further.

The guards stood frozen in awe, their gaze transfixed upon the deity before them, their tongues tied by the sheer otherworldly presence she exuded. Despite her youthful and ancient appearance, there was an air of unfathomable power that surrounded her a power that rendered even their most potent instruments useless.

The special token, meant to unveil the cultivation realms of other cultivators, remained stubbornly blank in her presence, defying their expectations and sowing seeds of unease within their hearts. Fear gnawed at the edges of their resolve as they realized their insignificance before this divine being and the colossal serpent that coiled beside her, a silent sentinel of her majesty.

Helplessness washed over them like a tide, their minds racing for a solution, a means to navigate this unexpected encounter. In a desperate bid to regain control, one of the guards took out another token, fingers trembling as they pressed its surface.

As the token hummed to life, a space behind then started deforming, revealing the arrival of an elder cultivator. With his arrival, hope appeared in the guard's eyes.

The cultivator who appeared was Chief of Security Feng Huayuan, a formidable presence in his own right. At the mid-stage of Element Finding with quite rare Iron Path one of the six basic paths, was the second strongest person in the Merchant caravan.

The Iron Path, renowned for its versatility, granted him dominion over the very fabric of metal, shaping it into an arsenal of weapons and defenses limited only by his imagination. As he stood there, a faint halo of iron particles danced around him, a silent testament to his affinity with the metallic elements that coursed through his veins.

Yet, even with his cultivation realm, Feng Huayuan recognized the futility of resistance in the face of the deity's overwhelming presence. With a solemn understanding and simply not even recognizing her cultivation realm, he clamped his hands in a sigh of greeting, a gesture of respect before the divine being who held sway over realms beyond mortal comprehension. His gaze didn't even meet hers, a silent acknowledgment of her unmatched power and authority, a recognition that at this moment, he stood as but a humble servant before her divine grace.

"Welcome LORD cultivator, what brings you into our humble caravan?" Feng Huayuan, mindful of the potential consequences and wishing to avoid trouble for himself and those around him, remained cautious. If the crystal beauty became angered by the guards, he was prepared to act swiftly and decisively, willing to eliminate them as a gesture of apology.

As the deity slowly opened her eyes and fixed her gaze upon him, her expressionless face held his attention. Feng Huayuan discerned that despite her youthful appearance, she must be an ancient cultivator, far older than anyone he knew. This realization underscored one of the fundamental disparities between different cultivation realms.

As the deity's eyes cracked open, they gleamed with an otherworldly intensity, locking Feng Huayuan in their unyielding gaze and forcefully suppressing him. Her visage, devoid of emotion, held him transfixed, a mere mortal ensnared by the aura of ancient power that radiated from her being. Though her features bore the semblance of youth, Feng Huayuan sensed a depth of immortal power that transcended mortal comprehension, a testament to the unfathomable mysteries of the cultivation realms.

In that moment of profound realization, Feng Huayuan grappled with the vastness of existence, grappling with the inherent disparities that divided the realms of cultivation. 'She must be an immortal cultivator. Here stood before him a being who had traversed the eons, her existence a testament to the boundless potential of those who dared to tread the path of cultivation. Her presence underscored the fleeting nature of mortal life, a stark reminder of the insignificance of individual ambitions in the face of the cosmic tapestry of existence.

As he stood before her, humbled by the weight of her gaze, Feng Huayuan felt a surge of awe and reverence coursing through his veins. In that fleeting moment of communion with the divine, he glimpsed the vast expanse of the universe laid bare before him, a tapestry of wonder and terror that stretched beyond the confines of mortal understanding.

*****

The lifespan of cultivators stretched with each ascent through the next realm of cultivation, a testament to the transformative power of their arduous journey. With every step forward, they shed the shackles of mortality and ascended to heights where time and their power seemed to bend to their will.

At the pinnacle of their mastery, cultivators reached a transcendent stage where the specter of old age held no sway over their immortal forms. Their bodies, suffused with the ethereal essence of chi, became impervious to the relentless march of time, their existence a testament to the boundless potential of those who dared to walk the martial path.

For some, this apotheosis marked the attainment of true immortality, their soul bound eternally to the tapestry of existence, unbound by the confines of mortal flesh. For others, it granted near-immortality, their powers so profound that the ravages of old age held no dominion over their immortal souls.

*****

The overwhelming pressure radiating from the deity's body enveloped Feng Huayuan and the guards, incapacitating them to the point of unconsciousness. Despite his extensive experience spanning nearly three thousand years, Feng Huayuan had never encountered someone of such overwhelming power and presence. Neither the patriarch nor the ancestors of the Feng family possessed such a formidable aura. In comparison, the deity stood before him, seemingly innocuous as a young girl with no visible signs of cultivation. Yet, he couldn't perceive her true form; all he saw was an ordinary young girl with long crystal hair, snow snow-white skin color in a crystal cultivation robe with golden patterns of different kinds of creatures. It was the first time in his long life that he felt such profound fear from someone.

Unlike his previous sparring matches with the leader of the caravan or members of his family, where Feng Huayuan could maintain his stance for a time despite recognizing his certain defeat, he now found himself utterly defenseless against the deity's formidable might.

He looked at her and didn't sense her presence at all. That was what he feared the most. Even If he wanted to fight her, her couldn't lock on her with spirit sense to coordinate his attacks. The same feeling was as he looked at the huge crystal snake next to her. It was as if they didn't exist. From his experience, he deduced that she wanted to be seen. If not he will have no way to find her.

 The caravan leader was at the early stage of the core formation realm, one realm above him, and he could feel the difference in their power, but he could sense his presence.

"I am here looking for someone. I will leave when the time is right. As you wish, senior. Do you want a special place to stay? If you want anything, you can contact me with the token. No need," stopped him a deity, before he started talking again.

Feng Huayuan retrieved a token from his robe and presented it to the deity, who smiled in response. She gracefully moved past them, leading the way into the slug camp, with the giant snake following closely behind. With a swift flick of its tail, the snake shattered the token into dust. Meanwhile, both guards remained incapacitated on the ground.

Despite the events unfolding before him, Feng Huayuan stood motionless, his gaze fixed in the direction where the token had been moments before it disintegrated. However, he did not attempt to follow their path and instead averted his gaze, choosing not to pursue the deity any further.

After a brief period, Feng Huayuan seemed to snap out of his trance-like state, and the guards suddenly regained consciousness as if by some magical force. As they became aware of their surroundings, realizing they were on the ground, they scrambled to their feet as quickly as possible and approached the chief to report what had transpired. "Who is she chief? Even tokens for cultivation realm discovery didn't work. Yes, this plate only works on cultivators under the Core formation realm like me or lower. It does not affect stronger realms. What about her payment? Greedy bastard! Do you think she needs to pay anything? We should be glad that you didn't die. As for protection fees don't ever bring it up. I need to inform the leader about it. Do you remember how she, no how he…" All of them knew that someone was here just now, but they couldn't remember anything from the moment. "Shit, I don't even know if that person was a man or not. Fuck!"

Feng Huayuan took out the token and entered inside with his spirit sense to implant inside as many memories about the incident as possible before he forgot that someone even come inside the caravan. After finishing he placed one of the swords into a horizontal position and flew away.